JetBlue raises the ante in Atlanta, doubling up on flights.

JetBlue has been avoiding Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for years, declining to go up against Delta and low-fare AirTran (now Southwest). Now the carrier is doubling up on Atlanta (ATL) service. In March, JetBlue surprised some observers by inaugurating nonstop service from Atlanta to focus city Boston. From March 8, 2018, the low-fare/high-frills airline plans to begin twice-daily nonstop flights to its bastion at New York’s John F. Kennedy International. JetBlue also is set to begin twice-daily ATL-Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood flights, as well as once-daily service to Orlando, home of Walt Disney World. The Boston and Kennedy runs rely heavily on business flyers, while the Fort Lauderdale and Orlando flights lean largely on leisure traffic. It will be interesting to see just how large JetBlue intends to grow Atlanta, and just how Delta and Southwest respond. JetBlue is no vulnerable new-entrant airline. It has staying power, putting it in position to weather well competitive responses by those two Atlanta heavyweights at the world’s busiest airport.